Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 4

Fuego Erupts Again, Sending Ash 4 Miles High as Guatemala Warns of More Explosive Phase

Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 4

Fuego Erupts Again, Sending Ash 4 Miles High as Guatemala Warns of More Explosive Phase

Q: With ash columns towering 6,000 meters, could Fuego's latest volcanic blast devastate nearby tourist hubs like Antigua?

Yes—Fuego’s eruption could seriously disrupt and potentially damage areas around Antigua, but the greatest immediate danger remains on the volcano’s slopes and nearby drainages rather than in Antigua itself. Officials say ash columns have risen about 5,000 to 6,000 meters above sea level, with lava fountains reaching 200 to 300 meters above the crater. Pyroclastic currents are already moving down Fuego’s flanks, the same type of fast-moving hazard that killed more than 200 people in 2018. That is why Guatemala declared a nationwide orange alert, evacuated villages including El Porvenir and Las Lajitas, closed Route 14, suspended classes, and warned people to stay away from ravines and exclusion zones. Antigua, about 16 km east of Fuego, is close enough to face secondary impacts even if it is not currently in the main path of pyroclastic flows. The main risks for the tourist hub are ashfall, poor air quality, reduced visibility, transport disruption, and sudden escalation if wind or eruptive intensity changes. Authorities have already warned tourists not to approach the volcano, and hiking routes are especially risky. Whether Antigua is “devastated” depends on how the eruption evolves. Right now, there is no indication the city itself is being overrun, but Fuego is one of the hemisphere’s most active volcanoes and can intensify quickly. Given the 2018 precedent, officials are treating this as a serious threat, and travelers should closely follow CONRED and INSIVUMEH updates.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 4

Lava and ash shot nearly 4 miles into the air after Fuego intensified Monday night, with live images Tuesday still showing large gas-and-ash clouds over the volcano.
Guatemala ordered evacuations in two nearby villages and issued a nationwide orange alert as volcanologists warned the eruption was moving toward a more explosive phase.
CONRED said fast-moving hot flows of gas, ash and rock could race down Fuego's slopes, while ashfall threatened nearby communities, especially on the western and southern flanks.
Fuego, a 12,346-foot volcano 22 miles from Guatemala City, is among Central America's most active; its 2018 eruption killed 215 people, while later eruptions forced mass evacuations.